


Much Odo About Nothing

by IcyKali



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Ensemble Cast, F/F, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Getting Together, Kira and Odo are disasters who deserve each other, M/M, Many episode references, Multi, NB Odo, Other, Pining, Romantic Comedy, See notes for more information, So many ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyKali/pseuds/IcyKali
Summary: When Kira suddenly realizes her feelings for Odo are not only friendly in nature, she seeks advice from her friends. If everyone she knows is undergoing romantic trials and tribulations, why are they so unsympathetic and unhelpful?
Relationships: Kira Nerys/Odo, Other Ships Not Mentioned In Tags - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12
Collections: Star Trek Rom Com





	Much Odo About Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my goal for this fic was to include a wide variety of pairings for cameos, both canon and non-canon, popular and unpopular! Ranging from Leeta/Rom to Jadzia Dax/Benjamin Sisko to Ziyal having an unrequited crush on Garak.

With the burgeoning war, it was more important than ever to celebrate the Gratitude Festival. As Kira approached the Temple and the ceremonial blue flame that had been lit outside its arched entrance, she hoped she could fit all of her troubles on fewer than five renewal scrolls. But before she could pick her first scroll, she stopped in her tracks. Standing before the fire, earring shining as it was lit by the flickering blue glow, stood a blond vedek. His robe’s silver embroidery rivaled those of the Kai’s garments. The man’s face was in a PADD, and already Kira found she very much wanted to see his face.

He turned around and it was Odo. Kira could not even express her shock—all that came out were peals of laughter at his wavy, bulbous attempt at a Bajoran nose. “Odo! That looks more like a fruit than a nose!” she managed to say between snorts.

“Hence my covering my face with this PADD.” From the way he tilted his head slightly as he spoke, Kira could tell he was as amused as she was. “I thought if I took the shape of a vedek I'd be able to scope out potential threats to the actual dignitaries visiting the station,” Odo said.

“But you were reading, weren’t you?” Kira asked. “You weren’t just pretending so you could hide your features.” 

“That’s right.” He handed her the PADD, and their fingers brushed as she took it. Did that usually happen when he did things like hand her the latest criminal activity report? She had never wondered about it before. 

On the screen was the cover of a book obviously designed and written by humans. The cover showed a very grey-looking man with an expression normally seen on a bored Vulcan. “‘ _The Avenger_ by Kenneth Robeson,’” she read aloud. She scrolled down to a prologue, which described the title character as “a figure of ice and steel” and “a terrible, almost impersonal Force.” 

Sheepishness crept into Odo’s voice. “It’s from a series that follows a human wracked with grief over the death of his family. His face becomes paralyzed from the trauma. He can press the flesh into any shape and it will remain frozen in that position, a trait he takes advantage of in order to become a master of disguise.”

Kira grinned as she looked up from the text. Odo’s eyes shone in the firelight. “Why do I have a feeling you found this one your own?” 

“You would be correct.” His mouth curved up just a little. His small smile paired nicely with the embroidery on his shapeshifted robes, which were their own tiny crescents. Kira was no fashion expert but anything that resembled Odo’s smile had to be good. “Nerys?” Odo’s voice brought her out of her reverie. “Yes, if you’re wondering, I have in fact been using this opportunity to practice patterns. Watch this.” He held his hands up so she could get a clear view. The crescents rippled and transformed into diamonds, then geometric flowers, and finally _bateret_ leaves. “What do you think?”

“It’s, uh, it’s great, Odo.” Kira hoped the blue glow would make her flushed cheeks less obvious. “Actually, it’s… beautiful.” 

“Th-Thank you, Nerys,” Odo stammered. He was obviously in the spirit of the festival, but Kira realized she had yet another trouble to use to feed the flames. 

* * *

“I may be a lot of things, but I’m not psy-positive,” Jadzia said. She sat across from Kira in the tucked-away table behind the stairwell at Quark’s. Kira had it on her mental map of the station as a spot unsavory characters made shady deals. Normally she would never sit there in the shadows, but her embarrassment made it feel appropriate. “You have to put why you’re struggling into words. I mean, if it’s about Odo’s appearance, we’ve already been over the fact that I like men with transparent skulls and visible internal organs, so you know what I’ll tell you, don’t you?” Jadzia said. 

Kira looked askance, feeling flushed. Her earring jingled at the sharp turn of her head. “You know I think Odo looks good! It’s not about that,” she said. “It's like I'm stuck because he's my best friend! Imagine... hypothetically... if you tried to date Sisko!”

Dax stared into her red leaf tea and stirred it even though it had to have been the right temperature. “Hm… well, hypothetically, considering Curzon and Benjamin were attracted to each other—”

“Wait, they were?” Kira turned back to her. “Actually, that would explain the way Sisko never stops talking about him.” 

“It does, doesn’t it?” Dax did not look up. “As I was saying, because of that attraction, hypothetically I’d say our hypothetical situation would be scrutinized by the Symbiosis Commission, and because Benjamin and I would hypothetically not let them get in the way of our relationship considering the way in spite of everything, he supported my attempt to be with Lenara, I would hypothetically be Dax’s final host and Benjamin, on top of having to lead us through this war, would have to live with the guilt of his decision for however long the wormhole aliens—sorry, the Prophets—want him hanging around.” She glanced up at Kira with just her ice-blue eyes. “But I suppose dating _Odo_ could be a really big step for you too, Nerys.”

* * *

As she marched alongside Doctor Bashir making his way to the Infirmary, Kira found herself gesticulating wildly whereas he remained collected. “I understand why you might be worried about your friendship, Major,” Bashir said. “I tried to hold back where pursuing Garak was concerned for as long as possible, but I suppose it isn’t exactly the same because he tried to pick me up as early as our first meeting—”

“I’m not worried about our friendship, not after talking to Jadzia about it!” Kira exclaimed, and it was true. But then, what was holding her back? “It’s that he’s the constable of the station! I even coined that term for his role around here because he was working for the Cardassians’ fascist regime! How am I supposed to reconcile all that with my roots as a freedom fighter?”

Bashir fixed her with a look that often preceded his ordering her, in his capacity as Chief Medical Officer, to take time off. “Considering the fact that we all know how much you laugh at those criminal activity reports, I have to say I'm not convinced you’re actually all that torn up about Odo's role as constable. Plus, you seem open to arguing with him whenever he does cross a line—everyone in Ops heard you snapping at him about his proposed security measures!” 

Kira nodded. It had actually been a long time since she had last clashed with Odo over his desire for surveillance. When the station had been reclaimed by Bajor and Odo had first vowed to serve Bajoran interests, it had been a continual argument. Kira could pinpoint the time Odo chose to be her secret-keeper over her unplanned murder of the collaborator as the shift that led to his softening his stance. 

If Bashir noticed her being lost in thought, he did not comment on it. Instead, he had that overly wide, dopey smile on his face. Thinking about passionate arguments had definitely caused him to think of Garak again. Kira suppressed a frown. Sheagreed with Sisko’s policy on this relationship. It had proved to be beneficial—though of course she hated owing Garak her life—and Bashir had to learn any forthcoming lessons about being overly trusting on his own.

“Besides,” Bashir said, “I think Garak and I have it much harder and we still make things work, even though—” 

“He’s probably tortured and executed hundreds while you have to save lives no matter what?” 

Bashir stopped in his tracks, pausing to gaze at the illuminated sign for Garak’s Clothiers. How convenient for Bashir that it was so close to the Infirmary. The same sort of easy convenience that would come with how often she visited Odo’s office. 

Kira focused on Bashir’s words to keep the daydreams at bay. “...I was going to say, ‘Even though I firmly believe it’s unethical for doctors to date patients.’ Considering all the factors, this is a rather morally grey case. But also… yes?”

Venting to Bashir had been a ridiculous idea from the outset. 

* * *

Back on the upper level of the Promenade, Kira found Ziyal sitting on the edge, peering through the guardrails and she sketched scenes from below to practice her figural art. This did not bother Kira—she trusted Ziyal to be responsible enough to prevent a fall, she was not like Jake after all—but when she noticed that Ziyal kept staring at the windows of Garak’s shop to catch a glimpse of him, that riled her up. 

Ziyal smiled. “Hi, Nerys. I heard you were having trouble courting Odo?”

“You heard me telling Julian about it? He wasn’t very helpful, if you were wondering.” Kira knelt down beside her. 

“Actually, it’s because you told Dax. I think everyone knows aside from Odo himself.” 

“That would certainly do it,” Kira said. At least that meant she did not have to walk through an explanation with anybody else. “I don’t even know why it’s so difficult, Ziyal. It would be easier if he’d just take the plunge himself and come to me! Maybe after everything I lost, I want a more traditional courtship… which Odo knows already. I’ve confided in him about my past relationships all the time.” She had come of age without her mother, and her father had passed away while she had been in the heat of battle. Over the years she had found a parent in Tekeny Ghemor, a family in the O’Briens, and she loved them all dearly, but none of those relationships felt distinctly Bajoran. She had tried to incorporate her culture’s traditions when Kirayoshi was born, but it was not enough.

“I understand why you want a traditional Bajoran courtship, Nerys. I know how you feel—after my time in the prison camp, I long for a traditional Cardassian one!” Ziyal brought up an older sketch on her PADD. “But sometimes you have to compromise with the one you love. Garak never argues with me, but he's still so loving in other ways. If I help you with Odo, could you help me with _him_?” 

On the screen was a drawing of Garak, featuring even more wrinkles than his round face actually had. Ziyal had surrounded his portrait with shapes resembling plump, upside-down droplets. These icons were used to suggest romance in the air since Cardassians’ spoons were often involved in intimacy—though Kira knew them as the most optimal, soft targets to strike on a Cardassian’s body. “I think you should approach Odo yourself, even though you’re a woman and he’s a man,” Ziyal said. 

“Oh, Odo isn’t a man,” Kira said, relieved to have something else, anything else to comment on aside from _that_. 

“He’s not?!” Ziyal gaped, as if she had just watched Kira debilitate an opponent twice her size. 

“That’s right, and he’s just as baffled by men’s behavior as any of us. Odo’s actually genderfluid.”

“Gender _fluid_? Are you kidding?”

“Nope, not at all.” 

“Then maybe you should be asking Jake for advice on what to do with Odo instead,” said Ziyal. “He’s also still figuring out how to be a man.” 

There was no chance of that happening. Sure, everyone might have claimed it was Ambassador Troi’s feelings for Odo messing with Jake’s head that one time, but Kira did not want to risk giving him the wrong idea. On that note, Kira needed to figure out how to get Odo to be as comfortable with talking about romance around her as he was with the ambassador. 

“Odo’s had more than enough people pushing him to be what he’s not, Ziyal.”

“Okay, I understand.” But it was clear she did not quite get it yet. With enough time spent on the station she would figure it out—Kira had faith in her. Dukat had not impressed his ignorance on her, and Kira would never let that happen. “But will you help me with Garak?” Ziyal asked.

“I’m sure everything with Garak will work out,” Kira said. “Just give it time.” 

* * *

Kira raced to the nearest lift and descended to the bottom floor of the Promenade. Stationed outside the entrance to Quark’s were Leeta and Rom, selling deep-fried milaberry bread. Rom was the one actually making the transactions, while Leeta was doing some showy calisthenics against the stall to grab the attention of passersby. 

“ _Peldor joi_ , Major,” Rom said. He was wearing an earring, probably the one he had wanted to wear for his wedding before it had been rushed. Wartime did not allow for hesitation and Kira resolutely refused to apply this knowledge to her own situation. “Would you like to buy some fried bread?” Rom asked. 

“I’ll think about it,” Kira said. “Are you doing this to help out Quark? I thought you didn’t work for him anymore.” 

“It’s got nothing to do with Quark, Major.” Rom pointed to a sign behind him. “Eighty percent of the proceeds go toward the Bajoran Orphans’ Fund...”

Leeta slid her leg off the tabletop. “...And the rest goes to planning our future together.” She joined her husband behind it and leaned down to rub her nose against his. 

Kira’s face screwed up, and she covered the bridge of her nose before they could notice it looked like she had twice as many ridges on it. Rom was resourceful and a nice coworker, but Kira still was not used to seeing Ferengi and a sprightly Bajoran as newlyweds. It felt even harder to stomach than watching Quark’s mother Ishka and the Nagus, and that was a prejudice she needed to work through—she knew if anyone looked at her and Odo being together with disgust, she would crush them. 

With a little kiss and poke to Rom’s ridges, Leeta pulled back. “I’ll be right back,” she said. After leading Kira past the table and around the bend, she gave her an expectant grin. “So? Where's the part where you ask me for advice?” she asked. “Because I get it completely. I had the same exact problem.” 

“What do you mean?” Kira asked.

“So, before Rom and I got together, I was also waffling all the time about whether or not to tell him how I felt!” Leeta explained. “Just like you are now, I was really intimidated. I mean, he’s so smart, and funny, and kind.” She turned to the wall as if bashful, but Kira knew she was making sure the praise reached Rom’s big ears. “I just didn’t understand what a dabo girl like me could offer such an amazing man.” Leeta sighed, and Kira could almost see sparkles of love flying from her mouth. She suppressed a gag. “Anyway, who’s the intimidating person in your life?” Leeta asked. 

“Odo’s the one I've been thinking of as more than my best friend.”

“Okay, what you should do is—wait, Odo?!” Leeta giggled. “It’s just Odo? He’s not intimidating at all! With how nervous you were, I thought you were in love with Jadzia or something!”  
  
“She _wishes_!” Kira clenched her hands into fists. “And what do you mean about Odo?!”

Leeta glanced left and right, then bolted. “Rom, save me!” she squealed. 

* * *

Wandering farther along, Kira was plagued by visions of the future. What if the newlywed phase between her and Odo could not last a fraction as long as Rom’s and Leeta’s? There was no telling if she and Odo could gel as a couple. And if their romance soured, well, there was no getting that easy friendship back. When Shakaar had barely been there for Kira during her pregnancy only to annoy her to no end as she gave birth, that had been that. And who knows what would have happened had Bareil had lived—all she had of him were memories. Kira sighed. If only the Temple were not bustling with activity, she could light the torches and meditate on it.

Lost in thought, she reached the outskirts of a crowd that had formed in one of the open areas of the Promenade. Fiery wheels, held aloft by jugglers, were spinning above people’s heads, and at the heart of the crowd was the silky dark hair Kira would recognize anywhere. Keiko stood beside Molly, who tugged at the hem of her dress. When Keiko turned, Kira could see she was cradling Kirayoshi in her arms. 

Molly noticed Kira first. “Aunt Nerys!” she called. “I want to get closer!”

As Kira moved in closer, she could see Keiko’s hair was frazzled and flyaway. “Molly, you know fire can hurt you,” Keiko said.

Kira put a hand on Keiko’s tense shoulders. “It’s okay, the performers use a special formula for their tricks. The fire burns cool.” To Molly, she said, “Go ahead!” as she parted the sea of people for the girl to bound through. 

“Oh, Nerys, you’re a lifesaver,” Keiko said, leaning into her touch. The pair of them and the child they had given life to together seemed to be in their own little private bubble in spite of the cheers and applause around them. 

Before Kirayoshi could cry from the noise, Kira lightly flicked his nose with her free hand and helped him giggle instead. “Not worried the little forest in your quarters will miss you on your day out?” Kira asked Keiko. 

“Right, they're robust enough to take care of themselves for a few hours.”

Gazing at Keiko’s bittersweet smile, Kira knew it would be just as inappropriate to share her worries about a future with Odo as it would be to ask where Miles O’Brien was while Keiko was out with the kids. 

* * *

Kira had threatened Quark into letting her put her elbows on the surface of the bar without having to pay a fine, and she took full advantage of this after collapsing onto her favorite barstool. “Modela apéritif,” she said, failing to even snap at Quark. 

Quark slid one of his tackiest glasses over to her. “Rough day, Major? That’s quite a bit sweeter than your usual.” He poured in the viscous, fruity orange base, and then the little cyan layer that made it feel cloudy as it went down. 

“You’ve got that right, I need a little sweetness and lightness from a drink if nothing else.” 

“It didn’t go well with Odo? No, that can’t be right,” Quark said. “Let me guess, you still haven’t found the courage to face each other yet.” He flashed a toothy smile. “Rule of Acquisition two hundred eighty-five—‘Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum.’ And Odo is liquid latinum. I mean, who else could realize they could have a lover who can turn into anything and still not know whether or not to make a move?”

She glared and took a swig of the drink. It smelled like a sunny field of flowers. “Thanks, Quark,” she said, sarcastically. “I’m not a surprised a stingy little toad like yourself would make this all about sex. And I thought you were always saying something about free advice actually being expensive. Are you becoming a philanthropist?”

“That’s Rule of Acquisition fifty-nine, and never. It’s just that Doctor Bashir says I’m developing tinnitus from having to listen to Odo’s wailing day in and day out—”

Kira brought her fist down on the bar. The glasses and jars clattered. “Listen, if you’re going to insult Odo, I’m going to make sure you have to pay Julian another visit right away.” 

“Okay, okay, I get the picture. I’ll talk about somebody else.” To Kira’s surprise and concern, Quark did not even flinch at the threat. Instead, he leaned in conspiratorially—or maybe it was just that he _always_ looked suspicious. “Did you know Weyoun and Damar are lovers?” he asked. 

“Wait, what? The dolled-up Rakonian swamp rat and the spineless bootlicker?” Kira’s face screwed up and she put her drink down. “I hate that it makes sense.”

“It really does,” Quark said. “Apparently, they argue like they stepped right out of a Cardassian romance novel. It's _disgusting_.”

“What makes you think they don't just hate each other? Weyoun’s not a Cardassian.” Even if he was more than enough of a slippery bastard to be one.

“You heard me. Listen, I'm the resident expert on non-Cardassians in Cardassian-style courtships,” Quark said, downcast. 

Kira remembered that, according to Odo, Quark had been in genuine love with a Cardassian dissident and had worked to save her life. When Kira had asked Odo what exactly happened after that—surely the Cardassian government had sent someone to deal with her?—it had been obvious he had turned a blind eye to everything after that point. She was proud of him for that, but did not credit Quark for potentially killing an assassin. There was no chance he could have done such a thing without help. 

“I guess you are,” Kira said. There was also whatever he and Odo had going on, which she never quite understood but that Odo obviously enjoyed, which was cute. 

“Anyway,” Quark said, “I'm telling you this because if a fascist power's genetically-engineered diplomat slave and a sycophant whose people are going to get gobbled up by that very same fascist power can find romantic happiness, why can't you and Odo?” 

The smell of her drink as she leaned over it was a comfort, and Kira’s shoulders relaxed. “You're saying I should make myself happy to spite them? For once, it's like we're speaking the same language, Quark!” 

“I knew that’d get through to you,” Quark said. “So, now that you’re motivated, you might like to know that Odo loves turning to goo and being licked all over, and that it tastes a lot like—”

Kira choked and then spat the rest of her drink into Quark’s face, making his makeup run and adding to the muddy liquid soaking his suit. If he tried to send her a drycleaning bill after that stunt she would compel him to seek free medical care. 

* * *

Even though it had only been one day, Kira already missed having her morning raktajino in the Security Office while chuckling with Odo. But she was still too muddled to face him, so instead she skulked her way over to the Replimat. When she heard Garak’s snide voice, she immediately realized her mistake and ducked behind a bulkhead—this was the day Odo had breakfast with him! Despite her nerves, she could not help but peer out from her hiding spot. She had probably tricked herself into seeking Odo’s company after all. 

“Yesterday she was clearly upset and raced around the Promenade, turning to everyone for help but carefully avoiding me,” Odo said, head bowed as he stared into his cup, which was really an extension of his own form. “And it all began when we met in front of the ceremonial fire. Now do you understand why I said that pulp novel must have offended her?” 

Kira clutched her chest. 

Although only his distant profile was visible, it was obvious when Garak rolled his eyes. “This was the conclusion carefully reached by the head of surveillance aboard this station? I must say, Odo, you really have—”  
  
“I would never invade her privacy!” Odo’s head snapped up. “She wants to avoid me, and I respect her choice. Besides, she knows better than anyone when to speak her mind… not that _you_ would understand.” 

“We both know that isn’t the case, my dear constable,” Garak said. “You’ve heard me eviscerating Doctor Bashir’s favorite flavor of pulp time and again. _Really_ , the length of time it took for him to realize he was infatuated with the secret agent… _staggering_.” He sliced at the air with his claws. “Arguing leads to _action_. Cardassian courtship precludes this ridiculous pining, Odo.”

“I-I never said anything about ‘courtship.’” Odo pulled away from the table and drew the cup back into his body. He glanced at the table, realizing his slip-up, but chose not to reform it. “And actions carry more weight than words. Nerys’s troubled expression as we parted ways yesterday was her way of making her feelings clear.” 

“No, it wasn’t!” Kira snapped. Pushing herself off the wall as if she were in a springball match, she rocketed from her hiding place and strode her way across the Replimat. “I was being a coward and I’m going to tell you why right now!” 

As she drew near, Odo’s sunken eyes were so wide they bulged from his face. “Nerys?” The edges of his body were looking coppery in the bright lights. 

Kira knew she had to address it. “Odo, before I say anything, I need to let you know that if you shapeshift into some small, skittering animal I’m going to pick you up and cradle you like the most precious of Bajor’s artifacts.” 

Garak did nothing but silently sip his tea, so for the time being he did not deserve a punch to the spoon. 

Odo gazed up at Kira, his eyes sparkling—was he making them more reflective?—no, his entire body was shimmering as he sank into his chair and disappeared beneath the tablecloth like spilled syrup. This was a test, and Kira was ready to rise to the occasion. She reached down, pulled the cloth aside, and felt nothing but a cushion. 

“Oh, Odo, none of the chairs here come with cushions,” she said to it as she picked him up. She held him tight to her chest and rocked slightly, as if she were helping Kirayoshi fall asleep. “When I read those snippets from _The Avenger_ I was delighted that you had found something to relate to. Even when I don't understand it—maybe especially when I don’t understand it—I’m always happy to see you enjoying something.” She gently squeezed him. “I was only troubled yesterday because… I mean, when I looked down at those patterns on your version of a vedek’s robe and then up at your adorable face, I was… er… I guess what I realized was that I see you as…” she trailed off. She looked every which way, expecting to find people voyeuristically transfixed by their private moment, but found that everyone was focused on eating breakfast and talking to each other. It was sort of disappointing that nobody even gave her a questioning look for caressing a cushion. She had been burning to yell at everyone to mind their own business. Even Garak had returned to his meal, still quiet. 

The cushion returned the pressure she was applying to it and she let go, stepping back as Odo expanded outward and resumed his usual shape. “Nerys, are you all right?” he asked, in a hushed tone. 

“No, I’m not, actually… I… feel completely and utterly ridiculous!” It started as a grin, before blossoming into a full-out belly laugh. “I don’t even know what I’m nervous about!” 

For a moment Odo stood ramrod straight, his arms unmoving at his sides. But gradually, as if he were emerging from cryo-stasis, he gingerly reached out and touched her right shoulder, just below her earring. “Nerys… I feel the same.”

The blush was returning. “I know you do, I mean, this whole display over breakfast made that pretty obvious, if nothing else.” 

Odo chuckled, and Kira felt it reverberating throughout her entire body, setting it alight. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment,” Garak interjected, not sorry at all, “but I thought you might want to consider that if you require further motivation to act on your tender feelings for each other—it was the actions of Gul Dukat that led to your first meeting.” 

Kira and Odo spun around to face him. “Garak, you—you know what? You’re right,” Kira said. “Oh, Odo, imagine the look on his face when he manages to put the pieces together!” 

“He’ll be furious,” Odo said. 

“Ah, he already is furious,” Garak said. “You see, I’m afraid the last time he paid us an unwelcome visit, he placed a bug on Ziyal’s favorite dress, meaning he found out about your feelings for each other yesterday. Don’t worry, Major, Constable, he never finds out anything sensitive. I’ve made sure of that.” Garak removed his makeshift bib. “But he should be on his way to Deep Space Nine right about… now.”

“What?!” Kira and Odo shouted, simultaneously. And just then, Sisko contacted everyone in Ops via combadge to alert them to the arrival of the Dominion’s flagship. 


End file.
